Is Mobile 1 F1 oil too thin?!
Discussion
Recently bought a 97 Griffith 500 and have been concerned with the oil usage, so decided I better top it up to max and then reset the odometer and see how much it was using.
After 270ml trip checked dipstick and found that now it only had a 1/3 left on the dipstick before the min level! So using 2/3rds of the dipstick oil level in 270mls! Not sure how much oil is between max and min levels 1-2 litres I guess?
Have spoken to some who say Mobile one is too thin hence the amount being used and I should get some proper oil for it instead!
Steve Howard at Precision Racing is having it in for a service on Saturday so will see what he thinks.
But anyone who can offer some words of advice/experience would be welcomed.
The Griff seems to have no visible leaks and is not blowing it out the rear.
Has the normal black soot on cold start but this could be because it's set-up a bit rich I guess.
After 270ml trip checked dipstick and found that now it only had a 1/3 left on the dipstick before the min level! So using 2/3rds of the dipstick oil level in 270mls! Not sure how much oil is between max and min levels 1-2 litres I guess?
Have spoken to some who say Mobile one is too thin hence the amount being used and I should get some proper oil for it instead!
Steve Howard at Precision Racing is having it in for a service on Saturday so will see what he thinks.
But anyone who can offer some words of advice/experience would be welcomed.
The Griff seems to have no visible leaks and is not blowing it out the rear.
Has the normal black soot on cold start but this could be because it's set-up a bit rich I guess.
Recently bought a 97 Griffith 500 and have been concerned with the oil usage, so decided I better top it up to max and then reset the odometer and see how much it was using.
After 270ml trip checked dipstick and found that now it only had a 1/3 left on the dipstick before the min level! So using 2/3rds of the dipstick oil level in 270mls! Not sure how much oil is between max and min levels 1-2 litres I guess?
Have spoken to some who say Mobile one is too thin hence the amount being used and I should get some proper oil for it instead!
Steve Howard at Precision Racing is having it in for a service on Saturday so will see what he thinks.
But anyone who can offer some words of advice/experience would be welcomed.
The Griff seems to have no visible leaks and is not blowing it out the rear.
Has the normal black soot on cold start but this could be because it's set-up a bit rich I guess.
Yes it's too thin, no the soot is a byproduct of this, Steve advised me to use 5/40 synth, oil consumption not noticeable, no soot either.
had my chim serviced by David Batty yesterday, I supplied my own oil, Mobil 1 Motorsport 15/50. Higher vicosity boosts the oil pressure and I think will withstand the elements when I climb the Alps this August with the Chim...
I am not expecting to burn much oil, but I guess we shall see....
I am not expecting to burn much oil, but I guess we shall see....
I also have Mobil 1 Motorsport 15w/50 fully synth in my 1998 chimaera 400, which was what was recommended to me by the guys at Fernhurst. Since it was last topped up I have covered over 400 miles and it has barely used any.
Most of the large Halfords sell it. Just go to the Halfords site and do a phone around of all your local stores and one of them should have it or they should be able to order it for you.
Most of the large Halfords sell it. Just go to the Halfords site and do a phone around of all your local stores and one of them should have it or they should be able to order it for you.
aaandy said: I also have Mobil 1 Motorsport 15w/50 fully synth in my 1998 chimaera 400, which was what was recommended to me by the guys at Fernhurst. Since it was last topped up I have covered over 400 miles and it has barely used any.
Most of the large Halfords sell it. Just go to the Halfords site and do a phone around of all your local stores and one of them should have it or they should be able to order it for you.
i agree 15w/50 is way to go, but look carefully in halfords, very easy to buy 5w/40
Last time I asked Steve Howard he didn't use Mobile 1 at all. It was some 15w50 fully synth stuff though. It's what he uses in the Tuscan racers so should be okay. Ask him for an extra can for top-up purposes.
My last oil change was done at Tower View and they put Mobil 1 Motorsport in. I second he point about checking carefully if buying from Halfords as the cans are very similar.
My last oil change was done at Tower View and they put Mobil 1 Motorsport in. I second he point about checking carefully if buying from Halfords as the cans are very similar.
Interesting.
Whilst not suggesting y9ou should not move to thicker oil, I would say that the consumption you are seeing is high. My old Griff used to do about 1k miles per litre. Driving hard through europe (130-140mph on autoroutes all day) that dropped to about 1 litre per 500-600 miles, still less than you are using.
However saying that these are pretty hand built engines so if the consumption is stable then it might well be fine. I guess the answer is to get it checked out.
Good Luck!
D.
Whilst not suggesting y9ou should not move to thicker oil, I would say that the consumption you are seeing is high. My old Griff used to do about 1k miles per litre. Driving hard through europe (130-140mph on autoroutes all day) that dropped to about 1 litre per 500-600 miles, still less than you are using.
However saying that these are pretty hand built engines so if the consumption is stable then it might well be fine. I guess the answer is to get it checked out.
Good Luck!
D.
I was advised by a Scottish service agent to use Castrol GTX not Mobil 1 as it was of a higher viscosity, 15/40 I believe. They also said, interestingly, that this was how TVR used to quieten down those engines that were too tappety (?) when running. That was for my 4.3 Chimp and it is what I put in my 400se now with the result of higher pressure. The oil is changed regularly (3000 or so) and it is not as if it is a high revving high tech lump!
Excuse my ignorance, but (possbily from comments on previous threads) I thought the two numbers (i.e. '5' & '40') related to viscosity and max. temperature respectively.
If, as we're so often told, most engine wear occurs at start-up (particularly cold start), then wouldn't thinner oils (where the first number is lower) better prevent engine wear?
I guess, thicker oils are better for higher temperature running, and may be more resitant to oil surge, but I really don't know, and would love to get some definitive advice on the subject.
Can anyone enlighten us?!
If, as we're so often told, most engine wear occurs at start-up (particularly cold start), then wouldn't thinner oils (where the first number is lower) better prevent engine wear?
I guess, thicker oils are better for higher temperature running, and may be more resitant to oil surge, but I really don't know, and would love to get some definitive advice on the subject.
Can anyone enlighten us?!
digga said: Excuse my ignorance, but (possbily from comments on previous threads) I thought the two numbers (i.e. '5' & '40') related to viscosity and max. temperature respectively.
If, as we're so often told, most engine wear occurs at start-up (particularly cold start), then wouldn't thinner oils (where the first number is lower) better prevent engine wear?
I guess, thicker oils are better for higher temperature running, and may be more resitant to oil surge, but I really don't know, and would love to get some definitive advice on the subject.
Can anyone enlighten us?!
Hi Marcus
Probably get beaten to the reply but, for what it's worth, this is my understanding.
Oil gets thinner as it heats up.
For cold starting you need a thin oil, low viscosity, to ease turning over issues.
At high temperatures you require a higher viscosity oil so that it is still able to lubricate adequately even though it has thinned with temperature.
These two goals are incompatible for a single grade oil.
The oil magicians therefore concoct a mixture, a multigrade, which gives pretty much the best of both worlds.
The two numbers are the low and high viscosity numbers characteristic of that blend.
Cheers
Ian
The first number is the viscosity at low a temp the second at high and the W stands for winter so the best oil would have the greatest possable differance between the numbers.Castrol used to make RS wich was a 10/60 and was superb but they no longer make it, I have found selenia 10/60 oil to be good.
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